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By Lydia Patrick
Life & Trends Reporter
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An AI-generated song entering the global music charts has sparked fresh controversy about the role of artificial intelligence in the music industry.
A reimagined version of French singer and rapper Stromae’s 2013 hit "Papaoutai" has become the highest new entry on the Global Spotify chart this week, debuting at No. 168 with 1.29 million streams. The track, which uses AI technology to recreate and reinterpret Stromae’s distinctive voice and style, has quickly drawn attention from both listeners and critics.
The suspected AI song, "Papaoutai—Afro Soul" by Unjaps, mikeeysmind and chill 77, has over 14 million global streams. Unjaps is an independent record label and music producer that uses artificial intelligence (AI) in music creation and promotion.
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Originally released in 2013, "Papaoutai" was a worldwide success, topping charts across Europe and earning hundreds of millions of streams. Newsweek reached out to Spotify's press office via a contact form on its website.
The song, whose title translates to "Dad, where are you?”, is known for its emotionally charged lyrics about absent fathers, paired with an upbeat melody.
The pain stems from Stromae's own painful journey of losing his Rwandan father, Pierre Rutare, who left and died during the genocide, exploring childhood confusion of loss and grief. The music video shows a boy attempting to dance with a stiff, mannequin father figure.
It has not yet been independently verified that the cover is AI, but it has sparked concerns and reignited debates around the ethics of artificial intelligence in music.
Critics argue that AI-generated covers and songs risk exploiting artists’ voices and creative identities without consent, while supporters claim the technology can be a tool for experimentation and tribute rather than replacement.
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In the United States, purely AI-generated music is not eligible for copyright because it lacks a human author. This means works composed entirely by AI enter the public domain immediately, and original creators may have no legal ownership over them.
Research by streaming service Deezer and Ipsos found that 97 percent of listeners could not tell the difference between AI-generated and human-made music, indicating how convincing the technology has become.
Streaming services are seeing tens of thousands of new fully AI-generated tracks uploaded daily—according to The Associated Press, up to 20,000 new AI tracks per day on Deezer alone, representing roughly 18 percent of uploads.
Social-media users have been quick to share their opinions, with reactions ranging from curiosity to outright anger.
"I’m really interested in knowing what Stromae thinks and how he feels about this AI version of his song…" shared one user on Threads.
"After listening to the cover, I get it. This is actually pretty good, but maybe I'm a sucker for violins in percussion," shared another Threads user.
Others were far less impressed.
"There is no actual violin, percussion or soul in this slop," said Mary, on Reddit.
Meanwhile, some listeners admitted they have fully embraced the trend.
"AI soul covers for 90s/2000s rap are all I've listened to for 2 months now," wrote another user.
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